Of Mice and Men
by Lolly Cheesecake Factory
Summary: Syuveil and Kanzas. One dead pet mouse. One potentially fearful encounter with a earth dragoon. Wingly assassins and rats galore. Fear me. I write substandard fanfiction.
1. Default Chapter

Of Mice and Men

or

The (not-so) Great Mouse Hunt

*grins* Just for fun, Male bonding at its worst.  Yeah, there's that little war coming up *rolls eyes*  But can't we still have a little fun? Pretty please?  X_x This makes little sense, by the way, and was written because I'm hell on a sugar high.  No mice, rats or spiders were harmed during the making of this fic.  *thinks* Yeah-Kanzas is more laid back in this, the first part anyway.  ^-^;;;;

"—understand WHY you had to wake _me_ up…"  The slighter blond man groused sleepily.  Behind thick spectacles, sea green eyes were set balefully on the back of the man before him.  "It's not even dawn."

"Stop whining." Clad in a light-eating black, the violet dragoon merged with the pre-sunrise shadows like a wraith.  Kanzas tossed a smirk over his shoulder.  "Breath that fresh air."

"Since when did _you_ care about fr—ghaa!" A clumsy stumble led into frantic wind milling on the jade dragoons part, through which Kanzas watched with an expression bordering on amused derision, and tugged on the blue sleeve of the others shirt to balance him back out.

"Thanks for the help." Syu gasped, hugging to the stairs with a fearful grip, rolling eyes over the edge that loomed so close by.

"You're welcome."  With that same mocking smirk that turned up the corners of a thin mouth, Kanzas continued up the steep incline with an uncaring ease.  At the top, his destination was the small box left of the arched doorway, and when lifted into his rough grasp, an angered squeaking erupted.  

Syuveil stood shakily on the platform outside the violet capped tower, squinting against the ponderously rising sun with a irritated glower that denoted one not of the morning persuasion.     

"What is so important that it couldn't wait until later--?"  the bespectacled scholar was muttering as Kanzas emerged, reaching into the box and withdrawing its furry occupant.

"Hey, is this the kids' rat or wha…?"  

Syuveil had turned at the sound of his voice, widening eyes riveting at once on the thrashing rodent in the others hand with a look of absolute _horror_.   

"Is it or not?" Reddish hair caught faint rays of dawning light as the sinewy dragoon urged the 'pet' upon the blond for identification.  

Syuveil yelped inarticulately and batted the proffered animal away with a wild swing.  Smacked from Kanzas's grasp, still squeaking in offended outrage, it sailed over the edge in a blur of sleek white fur.  

"What is WRONG with you!?" the dragoon of wind yelled, rubbing his hand frantically on his hastily donned shirt as if to remove the feeling of the even _touching_ the furry creature.

Kanzas _stared_ at him, lean features warring between amazement and disbelief.  "Me?  _You're _the whackjob who just chucked it overboard!"  A quick glance to follow the mouse's first and final flight, a quirked eyebrow over dark eyes.  "You better hope that wasn't the kids' furball."  Not that he cared whether it was the ludicrously named long-tail or not, had it NOT been, well…fair game for punting.     

Syuveil echoed a weak, "Kid…?"

A thumb jerked in the general direction of Damia's silent tower.  "Her and the giant were keeping one as a pet…I think…"

Syu followed the others gaze, growing steadily whiter with a sinking expression.  "Bubbles…the mouse…"

An incredulous dark eyed look.  "You're afraid of a _mouse_…?"

Both peered down the winding path down the seven towers, back at each other.  

"Huh," Kanzas commented off-handedly.  "Wonder if they bounce."

Syuveil, swiftly coloring a shade aptly suiting the hue of his dragon spirit, looked positively ill.  Even more so when observing the…remains at the tower base, and it did NOT help his churning stomach when Kanzas uttered a low whistle and gave the jade dragoon a wicked look after saying, "Guess they don't bounce."

Whimper.

"I thought you were used to, you know," A quick gesture to….Bubbles.  "Ghoosh." And looking like a man generally not accustomed to saying the word "ghoosh" Kanzas rocked back on his haunches with perverse glee.  Boredom would be a long time coming today, it seemed.

The back of his hand tight against his mouth, Syu swallowed, glanced at the rising sun, back to the…splotch that was…had been Damia's 'pet' and finally back to Kanzas.  "Come on, we don't have a lot of time."

Warily and a suspicious glimmer hinting in dark features, the thunder dragoon rose.  "For what?"

Syuveil, swiping a short fall of blond from determined eyes, announced grimly.  "We're going mouse hunting."

Heavy wood creaked open with infuriating slowness, revealing in the narrow opening an inky sub-cellar painted in murky shadows, highlighted with gossamer and intricate spider webbing.  Kanzas thrust a lighted torch into the gloom and was rewarded with the rapid scuttling/scurrying of a myriad of crawly critters.  

"There's gotta be _hundreds _of rats in there." And the black-clad mans grin was not without a sort of hilarity wrought from his companions obvious reaction.   

Syuveil emitted a low whimper, blanched a particular shade of grave-readied white—

--and scraped a step backwards, shaking his head.  "I-I can't go in there…"

 "Yes you can."  Kanzas answered blithely.  "You killed the rat, Squealer."

"I did NOT squeal!"

Leaning casually against the open door all the while bouncing a leather satchel against his leg, the other dropped a blackly scornful gaze to the blond scholar, who fidgeted uncomfortably under the hard stare.

"Okay! So I'm afraid of mice!  Can we get this over with?"  

Kanzas crossed his arms, jerked his head curtly in response, and steeling a shiver as the shadow of the cellar pooled at his hesitant feet, Syu snatched the proffered torch away from the snickering other and plunged in.

Cold, damp dirt lent a stagnant and unpleasant odor to the air.  Syuveil lifted a corner of his mouth in a snarl of disgust, turned to ensure Kanzas was indeed following, and was rewarded with a clinging web and the unshakable feeling that _something_ was crawling through his hair.  

"You lived a very sheltered life."

"Oh shut up."   

"Squeak squeak." And Kanzas strayed from the pool of light with a cackle benefiting a madman.  

Syu muttered at his retreating back, inching along the way and bringing a sleeve up over his nose to cover a particular malodorous REEK that wafted on a stale air current.  _What SANE person keeps a RAT for a pet?  Carriers of plague--one bite could KILL someone.  Soa!  I thought Belzac was a teacher…_

"Think fast!"  Something warm, furry and thrashing thumped solidly to his chest and clung with grasping paws, to snarl and clamber up.  

Syuveil's inarticulate yelp and ensuing actions of frantically swatting/beating at the snarling creature brought an amused bout of sniggering from the thunder dragoon.  

The torch fell, dousing the golden haze and sending the damp shadows into play once more.  Syu emitted a low whine…. but kept the twisting rat in one tightly clenched hand, while Kanzas' chuckles subsided into perverse snickers.  

"Kanzas…you…." Syuveil sputtered, blanched and spat out, "_ass!_"

"Bwah," the other guffawed, and the bespectacled blond saw only a phantom outline in the dimmed light of the shorter man striding closer with the leather satchel being tugged open.  "Fork it over, snag some dye from the wash rooms an—"

"Who said anything about DYE--?"

"And 'poof!'" The wiry fighter plucked the snapping 'Bubbles' replacement from Syu's death-grip and plopped it carelessly into the bag.  "New rat.  Kid's happy.  The giant's happy—"

"His name is Belzac—"

Kanzas jabbed his sharply enough to draw a pained 'whoof.' "And YOU can move on with the knowledge that the kid is stupid enough not to realize that you killed her rat and had to go digging around in the—"

Angrily, the jade dragoon spun and stalked away from the lilting voice.  "Learn a new song and leave me alone!" 

Over the crunch of bug husks and scuttling legs, the shadows rolled with the sound of "Oh, nothing makes me sadder than the Jade who lost his blad—"

"_Shut up Kanzas!_" Syu snarled over his shoulder.  A brief moment passed, and another before he realized that he had been walking too far, and that the door, just a tiny pin point of light now at the far side of the cellar, seemed a lot farther as well.  Maybe then, he'd just gone further that he realized while mentally ranting.  

"Hey, Squealer!"  

Syuveil ignored him, but heard the rapid crunching of insect shells as Kanzas strode after him.

"Wrong way book-boy."

Psh, the light was stronger and the door was closer, the sooner he got OUT of here, the better.  Kanzas was an infuriating son-of-a-bitch ninety-nine percent of the time, and this ungodly morning had not spared him the tolerable one percent.  

Kanzas made a disgusted sound, whether from the smell of the cellar or Syuveil's continued silence, he did not know.  "You. Are. Going. The. Wrong. Way. Idiot." Steely fingers clamped vice-like on the scholar's lanky shoulder.  "THIS leads OUTSIDE of Vellweb."

From inside the tied bag, the captured rodent set of a round of squeaking, to which Kanzas answered with a hard shake.  "C'mon, we got the critter, let's go."

Stubborn human pride, call it that.  Syuveil folded his arms, spun on the thunder elemental and opened his mouth to speak, to DEMAND apology, when another voice abruptly sliced through his words.

"_Mmnih vican?_" Elegant, silken and undeniably—

"Wingly." Kanzas stated thickly.  Demeanor changed as quickly as a lightning strike, mirth folded away like a change of clothing as a sort of darker hate replaced it.  Syu crouched in the dampness of the cellar, listening to the words echo closer, and to the harsher breathing of the man beside him as he continued with, "Assassins?"

Whatever they were, Syuveil clenched fists, readied, while a hunting growl escaped in the shadows and the killing edge of steel claws rose in uncertain light.  Kanzas echoed a fierce, "Wingly bastards." And Syuveil had no choice but to trace his fleet path to the doorway outside.

X_X  Blah.  Yes-I stole a portion of that song from con-air.  STOLE.  STOLE. STOLE.     This has a point.  O.O New term.  Point?  What point?  PWP!  X_x Maim I.  


	2. Oo Squeak?

Of Mice and Men

I had a frog named Bubbles once.

I dissected him in Biology class. ^_^

Errr…. yeah.  'bout time I got off mah lazy posterior and finished this, neh?  :D Thank you to all the lovely, wondrous people who reviewed!  I LOVE YOU ALL! XDD 

Warning: This chapter SUCKS beyond all comparable suckage.  So bad in fact, I'm contacting my lawyer to prepare for the onslaught of people suing me 'cause they had to spork out their eyes.  

Eight pages of SHIT!  VITH I'll rewrite it at some point!  *hides*

-----------

_"Mmnih vican?"_

It came again, and this time Syuveil followed the roll of words and wracked his mind back to long-ago lessons to whisper aloud, "Is it clear?"

"Does it LOOK like it's clear?" 

The scholar started, unaware that the thunder dragoon had remained so close in the gloom.  In faint lighting, Kanzas' features dipped in shadows, impossibly gaunt.  

"_Them_."  The blond jabbed a finger at the entrance, wincing at how his voice hung loudly.  Kanzas sneered and uncurled from his crouch.  

"I got a plan."

"We're doomed."  Came the plaintive moan.  And then a frantic thought careened into his mind.  "Wait!" he called loudly as he dared, fumbling after Kanzas.  "What if they're from Ulara?"

"Then they should have used the front door." 

Syuveil grimaced (as much from the smell of droppings and such) and dared to drop a pale hand on Kanzas' shoulder.  "We should warn someone…"

The other snorted in disdain.  Give up a fight?  "Coward." He said offhand.  Waiting for a reaction, if only to see if Blondie had actual BLOOD in his veins rather than ink.

Syuveil squared his shoulders (much as he could in the cramped quarters) and pushed his glasses on firmly.  Kanzas chuckled, turning in the shadows to crawl closer to the opening hatch.

Hell, at least he knew never to fuck with librarians now…

"Follow my lead." He snapped over his shoulder.  

'_We're going to diiiiieeeee-!_`

In truth, Kanzas didn't have much of a _plan_ but rather a general _idea_.  Better to let Syuveil think that he did, the poor sap looked ready to blow a vein at any minute.      

Voices- and close, muffled from the buffeting wind outside.  Behind him, the rat gave an angered trill from inside the burlap sack, and the forming of THE PLAN popped into mind.  

Stealthily maneuvering just short of the light cast by the opening, Kanzas peered up- _one, two… no three_- and gave something close to a happy smile.  Today just got better and better!

Wingly.  Dressed in dark, unadorned clothing, and from what he had seen, each held a sword.  Not the worst of the problems, considering the pixie flitter screwballs had _magic_.

Wellllll then, so did he.

Syuveil gave a rasping cough, gagging in effort to keep it silent.

Right…so did THEY…for what it was worth…

"_Tahai_?" From outside in the whipping wind, a sharply accented word snapped, and then a shadow leaned over the hatch, a silver thatched head peering down into the dusky hole.

_'It's like giggin' frogs in a puddle…_' the dark haired man thought in disappointment.  

"_Tahai vican_?" 

"Squeak!" Kanzas snarled, and like some maddened version of a child's jack-in-the-box, sprang from the open cellar door and seized the unsteadily perched Wingly by the throat.  The silver-haired man toppled with a shriek and a heavy thump into the gaped opening.  "_One down_!" the thunder dragoon roared and surged from the pit into the vague dawn light.  

'_Kanzas…._' Syuveil seethed silently, yanking the sword from the downed Wingly's scabbard and stumbling after the object of his ire.  

"Human!"   

Like the raving madman he was, Kanzas was mowing through the second Wingly, actually LAUGHING as he did so.  The jade dragoon paused, unsure, when another presented itself in attack.

Shiiiiiitttttttttt!

"Fool!  It's a HUMAN!" The remaining Wingly shouted to his companion, began moving in.  

The sword felt foreign in his hands, and he was by all means NO brawler.  '_and DANDY if you didn't leave your dragon spirit in the tower…Noooooo- we're going RAT hunting! We won't need it!_'

Behind the matched pair, Kanzas was flinging his opponent every which way, gleefully so.  

"Uh…hi?" he ventured.  Ducked swiftly under the vicious swing and near threw himself to the ground to dodge the swift chop thereafter.  Feebly sticking at the silver haired man with the sword point earned him a slice that burned across his cheek. 

"Hold STILL-!" The Wingly assassin- HAD to be an assassin!- cried.  Frustrated, gritting his teeth, a hand was held up, pointed directly at the blond.

Syuveil braced, holding the sword up in guard for little good it could do.  The fireball smacked into the metal in a spray of molten steel and with a yelp, the dragoon flung it to the side, face burned a bright red from heat.  

"_Tach VIE _human!"

Hands splayed open, a feeble grin on a drawn face, Syu seemed to shrug.  "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?"

The Wingly came on, sword leading. 

Apparently, he would.  

Weaponless, Syuveil cast about as the Wingly charged.  "Uh…HERE!  Catch!" And HEAVED the sack containing Bubbles' stand-in.  It hit the silver-haired man in the chest and out came the rodent, squalling to high heaven.

"_Hiha VEANA!_" He screamed and stalled, clawing at the rat, which was clawing at him with similar gusto.  Syuveil acted, barreling into him, sending the pair and the rat to the cold ground in a flailing mass.  

There was an elbow to his face and the glasses tumbled aside, leaving the world in a smeary BLUR.  Grimly, the blond sought a think hank of silver hair and yanked-

'_hair pulling!  Not just for little girls anymore!_'

-and felt the force of two hands being shoved against his chest, and another fireball erupt thereafter in a violent burst that flung both apart with seared screams.

Burning fur brought Syu from the gulf he teetered upon, a pitiful squeaking to his right, where a gray blob lay.  '_Bubbles_…' he gasped wordlessly.  His stomach was heaving to his chest; his chest to his head and his head seemed to fly apart with every hissed breath.  

Rough fingers gripped a handful of his shaggy hair, wrenching his head back to stare with teary eyes into the snarling face above.

More pointedly, the blade slated at his throat.  The Wingly had recovered, faster than he expected…

"Mayfil take you, human!"

The scholar gasped, dreams of color and life not finished, but his vision of death was somewhat premature.

"BRING IT-!" Kanzas roared; a flash of violet trailing electric sparks as a fist hammered forward, bladed claws ripping eagerly into the base of the assassin's neck.  Scarlet fountains screened the dying Wingly's visage, but not the gut-quivering gurgle he emitted upon sinking to the ground.   

'_Gods-! Why does he have to DO that! And why does he look so damn happy when he DOES?_' Uneasily, the blond lay sprawled on the ground, sweeping around for his glasses rather than watch Kanzas tally his…kills.

…wait a sec…

BUBBLES!

"Kanzas! RAT!"

"Hey! I just saved your dumb ass and you're callin' me a rat?!"  A sharp 'zap' of static crackled as he tossed his head imperiously.  

Syuveil's hand grazed twisted wire, and his spectacles were shoved roughly back into place.  "Idiot!  Bubbles!"

"Bah!" The dragoon snorted, bent and retrieved the rodent by its naked tail.  Syu shuddered visibly.  More intent on regaining his footing, he hiccupped in surprise when the thrashing, mud stained sack was thrust at him.  

"There, can we GO now?"

Torn between relief that 'Bubbles' was alive, and disgusted that he was TOUCHING it, the scholar limped upright and nodded.  "What about…THEM."  And gestured to the strewn, crimson slashed bodies.   
  


"Leave'um." Kanzas grated, oddly pleased.  He ran a bloodied hand through his hair, and then rasped it over his face.  Grim and blood seemed much his general appearance, it suited him well.  "Guard'll get them."

Syuveil flinched.  It did NOT suit him, and the smell was becoming intolerable.  "Let's get cleaned up first…" His stomach lurched, bile thick in his throat.  "Wait a se-" And flung a supporting hand to the stone foundations of Vellweb- the unmistakable sound of someone tossing it drifting upward.

"Right o' boss!" The other snickered.  

TOO damn fun…

----------

Shirley's expression spoke volumes as the unlikely pair dropped onto the pale divan, smudging the fabric with…well…. she'd rather not know…but the two looked like they'd been in a tavern brawl, with Kanzas with a overly pleased smirk considering the rips and rents gashed into flesh that foamed blood and Syuveil muttering over the twisted remains of his glasses.

"Are…what…" Her hands fluttered to the pearly orb that hung around her neck, mouth a frowning curve.  "What _happened_?"

Kanzas shrugged, but answered with a nonchalant, "Oh, traversing basements, trapping rats, fighting off murderous Winglies…" A crooked leer followed.  " How was _your_ morning?"

Shirley looked helplessly to Syu for a clear response, but the lanky man was shaking a muddied sack vehemently, responding only to her second attempt to question him.  Blinked rapidly.  

"It's sort of a…long story."

She sat down, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.  "It's not even mid-morning yet!"  

"Hey, like it's MY fault you an' the damn giant are up all night-"

"Kanzas."

"-doing Soa knows what-"

"Kanzas…" The blond man beside him replaced bent glasses, where they perched on his nose at a haphazard angle.

"-while everybody else is TRYING to sleep-"

"Soa." Shirley muttered, a dark flush creeping to her cheeks, nearly matching her hair.

"Think of the CHILDREN Shirley!  The CHILDREN!"

Both wind and light elements fixed him with a dull stare.  "If I remember correctly," Shirley intoned with an arched eyebrow.  "You're the one who tried fattening them up for Seethe."

An absolutely BEAMING smile lit up the rough edges of his face as he kicked his feet onto a small table and leaned back.   "Dragons gotta eat."  

"You're impossible." She accused.  "Syuveil- you're the sensible one!  What did he pull you into this time?"

"HEY!?"

Mustering a small smile, the scholar shook his head.  "You're better off not knowing," waving aside any protest from his rat-hunting companion, he rose.  

"Hey, make with the holy healin' crap."  The wiry dragoon aside him ordered roughly.  "God for friggin' BID we land up at the brat's doorstep lookin' like THIS."

"Aw, that's sweet." Syu cooed.  "Didn't know you cared."

The sharp point of a tri-clawed weapon poked at the small of his back in warning.  The taller stiffened at threw a sea-green glance at the other, who smiled grimly.  

"Shut up." He said softly.

(TRIBUTE!  Mwaha!) 

Unfolding herself from the chair, Shirley stood with the white-silver orb cupped in her hands.  "Put that down, Kanzas."  The dark-haired man frowned, and hesitantly moved to her bidding (the hand claw clattering to the table) as the heat of the healing light flickered around them.

"Thank you, Shirley." Syuveil bobbed his head, and rattled the rat in the sack for good measure.  The red-head smiled cheerfully, at least until-

"I've got another problem, if you'd like to take care of THAT one…" Kanzas stated maliciously.

"Kanzas!"  

"We're going." The blond assured, and hauled the other towards the door.  

"Hey!  My cla-!"  The thunder elemental protested.  

Shirley slammed the door in his face.

----------

Syuveil hugged the gray-stone wall on the way down, so intent on keeping a steady eye on both the edge and Kanzas, he near screamed when a looming, broad shouldered figure stomped around the winding staircase.

"Mornin'!" Kanzas greeted brightly.  Belzac gave him an appropriately frosty glare, leaving the violet clad fighter to press on.  "When you get the time, there's a mess outside of the south wall that needs mopped up."

"What?" Despite his bulk, the earthen elemental navigated the steep incline with a grace that Syu envied.  Sucking in a quick breath (and keeping the bag containing "Bubbles" safely hidden behind his back) the scholar outlined the general happening of the morning, omitting the reason behind skulking in the sub-basement.

"-so you were walking to the smithy when you heard voices?" Belzac might have been big, but he was far from stupid.  Throughout Syuveil's recounting, he kept a muddied brown stare pinned on Kanzas.  The Jade dragoon could have KICKED himself!  No secret that the pair wasn't on the best of terms, and the thunder dragoon being seen coming down from Shirley's tower was HARDLY going to go over well.

"More like squeaking, really." Kanzas said with a twisted smirk.  Syuveil indulged in a pleasant fantasy involving certain purple wearing men and a stint with the children at the schoolhouse.  Story time seemed a fitting punishment…

Maybe he could play dress up with the girls…

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Syu said, forcing a smile.  "Could you inform Diaz…"

"Since WE went through the trouble of killing them." Kanzas intoned, bored.  The giant was only fun in small doses.  The geek was fun near constantly.

"Yeah…"  Belzac shifted a chocolate glare to Syu.  "What's behind your back?"

"Uh…nothing."

A thin layer of his hair shifted in a sudden breeze as he drifted around to peer behind the other.  Syuveil backed up, pressing against Kanzas.  Bubbles' replacement shrilled.  

"Hey, have you seen Damia's mouse? I think it escaped last night-"

'_It's NOT a mouse it's a RAT! Carrier of PLAUGE Belzac!'_  "Gee I'm hungry?  Are you hungry? Kanzas?"  He was pleading, PRAYING that the coarse man didn't just blurt out whatever came to mind.  He practically dragging the fighter away, quite a feat, considering he was shoving Kanzas forward while walking backward with the rat-in-the-bag pressed between them.

"Give my regards to Shirley." Kanzas called cheerfully, leaving Belzac staring at them with the ODDEST expression on his face.

"Never figured THAT pair…" he muttered, and suppressed a quiet shudder.

--------

The sapphire capped tower cut the sky above with a cold contrast to the ember hued abode of the dragoon of fire, of whom laired farther to the right.  Syuveil breathed out a frosty puff as they neared the top, and chanced a look at the rising sun.  

Nearing noon.  Damn it all to MAYFIL!  He had things to DO today!

Kanzas seemed to read his annoyance.  "Aww, some poor little critter needs dissecting already?  We shoulda dragged back one of them Wingly screwheads for you to-"

"Shut up and knock."

"-maybe coulda found out a weakness or something-" the red-head went on cheerfully, hammering on the water-swelled door.  

"Please…just…STOP talking!"

"-or just hacked the sons a' bitches up for the fun of it and-"

"Damia!" The Jade Dragoon called desperately.

"Make a violin outta some Wingly gut.  Hey!  You ever used intestines as an offensive weapon?  Hell!  Scatters people like you wouldn't BELIEVE-"

"One more word," Syu stated fiercely, "And I WILL puke on you."

"Now that's just gross Syuveil, I swear.  I can't hold a conversation with you anymore with you bringing up vomit or bile."

Syu's head hit the door with a solid 'thump' and let out a sudden, "Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!"

And the door abruptly opened, sending Syuveil flailing about until Kanzas' hand clamped down on the back of his shirt and hauled him upright. 

"Goddamn, where'd you learn to walk?"

"…hi?" Damia greeted uncertainly, flushing indigo.  The half-mermaid youth shuffled shy glances between Syuveil and Kanzas, and only then seemed to notice the sack (still squeaking viciously) clenched tightly in the blond mans fist.  "Uhm…"

Kanzas waved childishly.  Syu wanted to strangle him, preferably with his own intestines.  

"We found your rat."  He informed her, gleefully prodding Syuveil.  

Damia blinked, and shifted her curious eyes from wind to thunder elemental.  "Bubbles…?"

"Escaped. Here.  Take it." Syuveil thrust out the jouncing sack and waited for the girl to take it…until it was apparent that Damia was NOT going to accept it.  "What?"

"Oh."  The child peered up through aquamarine strands of hair sheepishly.  "I didn't want Belzac to know…but I…sort of let him go last night."

Syu STARED.  Kanzas kicked up a dark brow.  "Say what?"

The half-mermaid gestured at the interior of her watery tower, and to the small cage that adorned a shelf, the small, _empty_ cage.  Her reddish eyes reflected sunlight as she gestured with her hands, "It felt…I dunno, _wrong_ to keep him in a cage."  

"...Oh…"  

"…Really…" Syuveil narrowed sea-green eyes, now darkened like storm tossed waters, at the wiry man beside him.  "That's _fascinating_."  And Kanzas, that insufferable _ass_, grinned.  

Damia nodded solemnly, and then at last accepted the sack with its squalling occupant.  "Thanks anyway…" And crouched as she shook the rodent from the bag and watched it hiss madly at the three dragoons until Kanzas swept it to the stairs with a foot.  "See, he _wanted_ to be free."   

Syuveil GLARED.  Kanzas ignored him, at least until Damia excused herself with a pleased grin and left the pair on the ledge outside, whereupon the dragoon of wind dropped an arm heavily on Kanzas' shoulder.

"What?"  And tried to shrug off Syu's arm.  The blond clenched tighter, his smile dangerously bright, Kanzas edged back, patting for the bladed claws only to remember he'd left them in Shirley's tower.  "Hey, technically, this isn't my fault…"

"Technically, from MY point of view, it is."  

"I saved your life…"

"Thank you."  The thin arm, however, didn't budge an inch.  

Kanzas eyed the distance from where he stood to Shirley's tower.  It, he assured himself, wasn't that he was worried that Syuveil could kick his ass, not in this lifetime…sure.  He looked again to the blond man, and his grin faltered.

The jade dragoon bared his teeth grimly in return.  

Mmmm… okay.  Who knew he'd go all to pieces over some dinky little rat?  "I get a head start."

"The hell you do-!  _Kanzas!!_"  

------------

^_^ Done.  Finished.  It was odd.  I am happy.  Out of character rampant.  @_@ Maim, smite, bludgeon.  Fun words.   Incoherent is I.  Must…play…KOTOR….X_x  *dreamy smile* Mmmmm…Carth's voice…

Random Person: *pries Xbox controller from Freefall's hands* *runs away laughing*       


End file.
